Outside seal for container



Filed Aug. 26, 1966 w I w x m a 2/ y M4 M00 luvs/V702. P14441044 5472 United States Patent O 3,391,821 OUTSIDE SEAL FOR CONTAINER William Satz, 6404 Colgate Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90048 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 338,822,

Jan. 20, 1964. This application Aug. 26, 1966, Ser.

7 Claims. (Cl. 22060) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention resides in a sealed package consisting of a container and closure therefor having complementary sealing surfaces with a resilient sealing material on the sealing surface of the closure. On the rim of the container is an outwardly convex annular cam which is engaged by an inwardly convex annular cam on the closure, the inwardly convex cam forming a portion of the pocket which contains the resilient sealing material. There is additionally provided a skirt on the closure adjacent the cam which has a rounded beaded edge giving the edge of the closure a premanent breadth, the rounded beaded edge being spaced from the wall of the container in closed position so that it can be grasped by either the fingers or a tool for removal of the closure.

This is a continuation-in-part of application, Ser. No. 338,822, filed Jan. 20, 1964, now Patent No. 3,268,106, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of applications, Ser. No. 90,119, filed Feb. 17, 1961, and Ser. No. 268,230, filed Mar. 27, 1963 (now abandoned), and of application, Ser. No. 384,825, filed July 24, 1964, now abandoned.

The invention relates to closures for containers of various kinds, the closure being primarily intended as an original closure for a commercial container which, after removal, can be resealed in place by the user, the closure further being one capable of being removed Without need for some special tool and without mutilation of the closure or the container.

There has been a progressively increasing demand in commercial containers for closures which are easy for the user to remove but which, at the same time, are so tight and dependable that materials and particularly food materials of all kinds can be safely packed in the containers, sometimes vacuum packed and sometimes pressure packed to a slight degree, and further which experience considerable handling before they ultimately reach the consumer. Closures of the kind made reference to have constituted an attempt ot supplant in many instances the typical soldered tin can closure which has been universally used for many decades. Undoubtedly, what prompts development trends in this direction is the desire to have a container, placed in the hands of the consumer, of such design that the contents can be partially used and preserved for an appreciable length of time in the container itself. In order to accomplish this objective the closure must be capable of a tight seal innumerable times after it has once been removed thereby to preserve the contents with a maximum degree of safety.

Screw-type containers are a common expedient made use of for this purpose but screw-type containers have several objectionable features. Among these is often difiiculty in unscrewing the cap in the first instance because it has been too tightly sealed. Another objection is that the contents of the container frequently collects on the screw threads making rescaling difiicult, sloppy and objectionable.

Other types of closures include press-on caps making use of a rubber seal. These are simple and effective for an initial seal but invariably when removed the closure is stretched, bent or otherwise mutilated to an extent that 3,391,821 Patented July 9, 1968 ice when the closure is used to recover the container, there is not an adequate rescaling effect. When such closures are designed so as to avoid mutilation upon removal, the sealing ability is so inadequate that they are incapable of being used as initial commercial seals for materials which of necessity must be tightly sealed in the container to an extent capable of withstanding handling or possible deterioration until reaching the consumer. Other reseal types of closures, although capable of a reseal after once being removed, have been found to be either too complicated for the average housewife to use or have been too expensive to permit widespread commercial acceptance.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved resealable container and closure therefor which provides a seal adequate for initial packing operations and which at the same time is easily removed and is capable of being reapplied whereby to thoroughly reseal the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sealed package consisting of a container and a closure therefor which is particularly inexpensive to manufacture and use, which is easy to apply, which remains tight at all times, and which can be reused innumerable times until the contents of the container has finally been disposed of.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved outside seal which is suitable for commercially sealed containers, the construction and assembly of which is noncritical thereby to permit substantially universal adaptation for all manner of materials merchandisecl in containers, the closure being suificiently inexpensive to be acceptable for many very low priced items.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to providea new and improved outside seal useful on both cans and jars which in effect is a concealed seal capable of being removed by hand without the use of any tool or, if need be, by only a very simple tool, the seal and the container as well being so constructed that all corners are amply rounded enabling them to be easily cleaned of contents and so that recesses are rounded and ample in order to avoid accumulation of contents.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view partially broken away showing a container with the closure in place.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the closure in position removed from the container.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the closure in place on the container.

Iri an embodiment of the invention which has been chosen primarily for illustrative purposes there is shown a container 10 in the form of a typical can having a cylindrical side wall 11, a bottom 12, and having a stiffening recess 13 around the side wall. The container has an opening 14 at one end, which is the top as pictured in the drawings, the opening being defined by a rim 15.

The rim has several portions important to the operation of the seal. These include an annular, radially outwardly convex camming portion 16 which extends outwardly with respect to the outside surface of the side wall 11. An arcuate pressure surface 17 is in the form of a fillet joining the camming portion to the side wall 11. On the opposite side of the camming portion is an annular radially extending sealing surface 18 which, in the embodiment chosen, has a central portion of appreciable breadth. At

the inner end of the sealing surface is a rounded reinforcing bead 19.

Although in the chosen embodiment the container is illustrated as being made of thin-walled material such as tin plated sheet metal or perhaps plastic, it will be appreciated that the container may also be of material such as glass, as found in application, Ser. No. 338,822, wherein the exterior configuration follows the same geometric form as been described for the container herein disclosed.

A closure or lid for the container is indicated generally by the reference character 20. The closure is preferably of sheet material having a degree of resiliency sufficient to yield slightly when applied to the container and when removed therefrom, the resiliency being sufficiently permanent to permit repeated applications and removal. An effective and commercially acceptable closure has been found to be one of ferrous sheet metal having a thickness from about .010 to about .012 inch and a temper of from about 5 to about 6.

More particularly the closure, acting as a cover plate, has an annular substantially radially extending sealing surface 21, relatively flat as shown, which is superimposed over the sealing surface 13 of the container and is approximately coextensive with it. At the inner edge of the sealing surface 21 is an annular axially inwardly extending wall section 22 joined to the sealing surface 21 by a rounded fillet 23. The Wall section is joined to an annular upwardly extending reinforcing head 24 by a short section 25. Within the reinforcing bead 24 is the central section of the closure 26. Adjacent the outer edge of the sealing surface 21 is a skirt consisting of a Spacer section 27 which joins an annular radially inwardly convex camming section 30, the junction being by a rounded pressure fillet 31. Another rounded fillet 32 joins the spacer section 27 with the sealing surface 21 on the other side. A guide fillet 33 joins the camming section 30 with an end section 34, the end section terminating in a rounded reinforcing bead 35.

It is further significant that both the camming portion 16 and the camming section 30 be circumferentially continuous and that when they are in engagement they form a circumferentially continuous line contact.

To provide an effective seal, there is employed an annular ring of sealing material 36. This sealing material is preferably a flowed in gasket substance which naturally adheres to the material of the sealing surface 21 of the closure as suggested in FIGURE 2, and is confined by the spacer section 27 and wall section 22 forming outer and inner walls.

The character, form and thickness of the sealing material 36 is significant and important in obtaining first an initial dependable seal and secondly which makes cooperable structure such that the closure can be readily removed by hand and thereafter reapplied with an effective seal repeatedly. The preferred way of making the seal is to mold the sealing material 36 in place to the bare metal of the sealing surface 21, omitting the customary lacquer coating. When the sealing material is molded, as it will be with the closure in inverted position as compared to FIGURES 2 and 3, the material should be soft enough so as to completely fill the space between the rounded fillet 23 and the rounded fillet 32. Moreover, the character of the soft sealing material, when thus applied, should be such that it provides a somewhat concave meniscus having a substantially fiat central portion 37. At the inner circumference of the flat central portion 37 is a fillet 38 which creeps up the wall section 22, and around the outer circumference is a somewhat larger fillet 39 which entirely fills the rounded pressure fillet 31 and creeps upwardly, when the closure is in inverted position, along a portion of the convex camming section 30. The preferred thickness of the sealing material should be approximately from about .035 to about .050 inch. This means that accordingly the height of the spacer section 27 should be slightly greater than .OSOwhen aseal of thickness .050 is made use of to something slightly greater than .040 when a seal of .035 thickness is used, with other heights differing proportionately. Material, such as polyvinyl chloride, forms an acceptable sealing material and performs acceptably when it sets at a hardness of about 27 Shore.

Under the conditions herein described, the proportions of the closure parts to the container parts are suchthat, upon engagement of the camming surface 30 with the pressure surface 17, as shown in FIGURE 3, the thickness of the sealing material will be reduced to a final thickness of from about .015 to about .035 inch. As the closure is applied to achieve the circumstances mentioned, the sealing material will be forced into the space 40 and thoroughly and effectively back up the surface engagement between the adjacent portion of the closure and container, thereby to give every assurance that, irrespective of the character of the contents of the container, the sealing eflfect will be de endably tight. Such additi nal flow as may result from an abundance of the sealing material 36 will pass to the opposite side of the respective sealing surfaces 18 and 21 and be manifested by a slight bulge 41 in the clearance between the adjacent faces of the reinforcing bead 19 and the adjacent surface of the wall section 22.

Sufficient resilience remains in the sealing material after initial closing that after removal of the closure, by hand, the closure can be rescaled and the sealing material will then continue to be compressed into the space 40 and provide an effective reseal, even though the closure is reapplied only by hand for innumerable removals and rescaling appjlications.

In use the closure is pressed into position as shown in FIGURE 3 in a commercial production filling and closing operation. This may be done before the container is filled or after it is filled. If the closure is applied before the container is filled, filling will take place from the other end and the bottom 12 applied and soldered into position after filling. In applying the closure, the closure is merely pressed into position passing from the relative position of FIGURE 2 to the position of FIGURE 3.

The innermost diameter of the camming section 30 is made slightly less than the outermost diameter of the camming portion 16. Because of the resilient character of the material comprising the closure, the diameter of the camming surface 30 will enlarge slightly during application of the closure by yielding of the closure material to permit the camming section 30 to expand over the comming portion 16. Thereafter the closure is pressed downwardly slightly in order to compress the sealing material 36 into a tightly sealed position as previously described and as suggested in FIGURE 3. At this point the pressure fillet 31 will underlie the pressure surface 17 and hold the closure in position on the container by this engagement. Also because of the slightly resilient character of the sealing material tending to resume its initial shape, there will be pressure between the sealing surfaces 18 and 21 tending to urge them apart to a slight degree sufficient to draw the pressure fillet 31 snugly against the pressure surface 17 and thereby form an airtight, firm, dependable seal. The seal is amply protected from the exterior by engagment of the surfaces just mentioned and the skirt, including the end section 34, forms a neat closure of relatively small dimension around the top of the container.

When the closure is to be removed, any sort of pry or even the fingers can be applied beneath the reinforcing bead 35 and the closure pulled free of the container. If the operatfor desires, a knife edge, spoon handle, or virtually any convenient pry may be inserted between the reinforcing bead 35 and the adjacent side Wall 11 sufficient to expand the camming section 30 slightly to have it pass outwardly over the camming section 16. Should the user wish to employ an ordinary bottle opener like the opener 40 shown in FIGURE 1, the end of the bottle opener may be applied to the top of the reinforcing bead 24 and a hook 41 applied beneath the reinforcing head 35 thereby to release the closure for removal. No deformation or mutilation of the closure will take place because of the reinforcing action of the beads which resist deformation and thereby preserve the initial form of the closure so that it can be easily resealed by hand as often as necessary after removal.

The outwardly convex form of the camming portion 16 and the inwardly convex form of the camming section 30 serve a multiple purpose. They effectively stiffen and reinforce respectively the camming portion 16 and the camming section 30. Although stiff, they yield slightly to allow the diameter of the camming section 30 to expand over the camming portion 16. After initial expansion the camming section 30 tends to resume its initial smaller diameter and in doing so the pressure fillet 31 is forceably drawn and slid down the pressure surface 17. The

drawing effect thus described tends to pull the sealing surfaces against the sealing material and greatly enhance the security of the seal.

By providing the camming section 30 of the closure in such position as to be applicable to the outside of the container, the closure is made one relatively easy to fabricate, without need for anything more than a simple complementary rim on the container, thereby to minimize fabrication problems, cost, and use of material. Presence of four thicknesses of metal, namely the spacer section 27, the camming portion 16, the bead 19, and the wall section 22, all curved in cross-section, gives a multiple reinforcement at the corner to assure against a loosening of the seal should a full can, for example, fall and strike on the corner.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A sealed package comprising a container and a closure therefor, said container comprising a peripheral substantially cylindrical wall having an opening at one end, a rim on said wall at the open end, said rim comprising an annular sealing surface, an annular radially outwardly convex camming portion of arcuate cross-sectional configuration at the outer edge of said sealing surface extending radially outwardly of said peripheral wall, said closure comprising a cover plate having an annular sealing surface, an annular seal of resilient material between said sealing surfaces, and a skirt adjacent the radially outward edge of said last identified sealing surface, and an annular circumferentially continuous radially inwardly convex camming section of arcuate cross-sectional configuration having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the outwardly convex camming section, said inwardly convex camming section having a position underlying said outwardly convex camming section with oppositely arcuate portions in engagement with said seal, said skirt having a rounded bead forming a permanent edge of breadth not less than twice the thickness of the material of said skirt, said skirt being of continuous substantially uniform thickness between said head and said inwardly convex camming section, said seal of resilient material after application of the closure extending past the outer and inner edges of said sealing surfaces and substantially filling the space between said camming sections.

2. A sealed package as in claim 1 wherein the sealing surfaces are substantially flat and parallel to each other and the annular seal of resilient material prior to application of the closure is in engagement with wall surfaces normal to the sealing surface of the closure at outside and inside perimeters of said last identified sealing surface.

3. A sealed package as in claim 1 wherein the sealing surfaces are substantially fiat and parallel to each other and the annular seal of resilient material prior to application of the closure has an initial thickness of from about .035 to about 0.50 inch in thickness and is in engagement with wall surfaces normal to the sealing surface of the closure and the space between the sealing surface of the closure and the inwardly convex camming section is only slightly greater than the initial thickness of said seal.

4. A sealed package according to claim 1 wherein there is an axially outwardly convex annular reinforcing head on the closure at a location radially inwardly of the sealing surface thereon and adapted to form a pry seat during removal of said closure.

5. A sealed package as in claim 1 wherein the inwardly convex camming section forms one wall of a pocket containing said resilient material.

6. A sealed package as in claim 1 wherein said bead is at a location spaced radially outwardly from said peripheral wall of the container and axially inwardly from said inwardly convex camming section.

7. A sealed package as in claim 1 wherein said container has a radially inwardly facing bead at the inner edge of the sealing surface of said container located radially inwardly of the peripheral wall and said outwardly convex camming portion and the resilient material extends around both the inwardly facing bead and the outwardly convex camming portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,101,864 8/1963 Glickman 220 3,211,323 10/1965 Foster 220-.60

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

JAMES B. MARBERT, Examiner. 

